Stem Cell Scrutiny in the Golden State: California's Research Program Looks to Avoid Extinction

In just nine days, the California stem cell agency will take a close look at its future, examining its budget for the coming fiscal year as well as the possibilities for a ballot initiative in 2020 that could stave off its financial demise.

The $3 billion enterprise, known formally as the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), expects to run out cash for new research awards this year, perhaps as early as September.

It has sufficient funds to administer its remaining 211 ongoing awards and keep the lights on. But it has only $114 million left before its research coffers are empty. 

CIRM is attempting, however, to raise privately $220 million to bridge the gap in research funding between this year and late 2020. The success of that effort is still unknown.

CIRM was created in 2004 by Proposition 71, a ballot initiative that also financed the agency with California state bonds (borrowed money). Since then it has awarded $2.6 billion for stem cell research, including involvement in 53 clinical trials, which are the last stage prior to federal approval of a treatment for widespread use. 

Despite the rosy expectations of 2004 campaign, CIRM has not yet backed research that has led to a stem cell therapy that is widely available for public use.

CIRM has scheduled two significant meetings for Wednesday May 15. One involves the agency's budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. The other involves "discussion of ideas for (a) new initiative."

For readers unfamiliar with the initiative process in California, it is a method for placing before voters proposals for new state laws and funding and basically bypasses the legislature. To qualify a measure for the ballot in the fall of 2020, stem cell research supporters will need to gather hundreds of thousands of valid signatures of registered voters. Usually that is done by hiring firms that specialize in that sort of collection.

Current estimates of the cost of each signature run around $6.00. Estimates of the total cost of a ballot campaign for a new stem cell initiative run in the neighborhood of $50 million, which would have to be raised privately by supporters of the research -- not the agency.

CIRM is stepping cautiously into the ballot initiative process because of legal constraints. Scott Tocher, CIRM's general counsel, said in a statement to the California Stem Cell Report, 

"While a public agency is not permitted to advocate for or against a ballot measure because it is barred from using public funds in an effort to convince the voters with respect to a particular policy position, a public agency may conduct research and draft a ballot measure because these activities are not aimed at persuading voters. 

"For instance, the (California) attorney general has concluded that public agencies may engage in outreach to obtain input and assess the feasibility of a measure.  In our case, of course, we don’t even have a ballot measure on the ballot yet. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss elements that a future measure might contain, not to campaign for a measure’s passage."

The agency has not yet disclosed its proposed operational budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. But CIRM is limited by the ballot initiative that created the agency to spending no more than 6 percent of the total it has awarded. This year's operational budget approached $17 million. The spending plan for the next fiscal year is expected to be less. 

In the next few days, the California Stem Cell Report will carry more on the upcoming CIRM meetings, including the perspective from Robert Klein, who headed the 2004 ballotcampaign. Klein was also the first chairman of the agency and is eager to see it funded anew with as much as $5 billion. 

New Effort to Require California Medical Board to Act on Snake Oil Stem Cell Clinics

A California measure aimed at regulating "snake oil," stem cell clinics sometime next year has taken a major turn as it wends its way through the legislative process in Sacramento. 

The bill, AB617, was amended this week to require California's Medical Board to move on the clinics, which have proliferated across the country in recent years. California has more than 100, according to the latest estimates.  An earlier version of  the measure placed responsibility with the state Department of Public Health. 

The clinics charge thousands of dollars for treatments using substances that they describe as stem cells. However, in virtually all cases, the treatments have not been tested scientifically. Some have led to serious injuries. 

According to the latest version of the measure, the state Medical board would be required to create a stem cell advisory group by February 2020 that would make recommendations by July 2020 for regulation of the dubious clinics.

The group could also recommend emergency regulations that could be adopted by the state Medical Board with a 90 day notice. 

The new group would have nine members. Three would be appointed by the California stem cell agency, three by state Medical Board, two by the state osteopathic medical board and one by the state nursing board. 

The changes in the bill mean that it will require a 70 percent vote by both houses of the legislature. The previous version would have required only a majority vote. The increase is dictated by the fact that it changes Proposition 71 of 2004, which created the state stem cell agency, formally known as the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). 

A spokesman for CIRM said today,

"CIRM is working with legislators to help them pass a bill that will regulate clinics offering unproven and unapproved stem cell therapies."

The California Stem Cell Report has asked Mullin's office for comment on the rationale for the latest amendments. We will carry his comments verbatim when they are received. 

(Following the posting of this item, Mullin released a statement that said: 

(“An important part of the legislative process is working with stakeholders to make sure legislation is as effective as it can be. Our amendments to move the requirements of AB 617 to the California Medical Board's jurisdiction will have a positive outcome. I look forward to continuing to work with MBC, CDPH, CIRM and others to address the serious issues related to potentially fraudulent stem cell clinics.")

The bill has cleared its first Assembly committee and is now before the Assembly Appropriations Committee. 

(An early version of this item said that a staff analysis of the bill said it was supported by CIRM. That phrasing was replaced in this version by the quote from CIRM.)

California's Intial Moves on Regulation of Dubious, Unregulated Stem Cell Clinics

Legislation targeting unregulated,"snake-oil," stem cell clinics easily cleared its first hurdle yesterday and was put on track for speedy approval by the  California legislature.

The measure was amended by its author, Assemblyman Kevin Mullin, D-San Mateo, to set deadlines for moving forward next year with new regulation of the clinics, which have proliferated in California and elsewhere.

The proposal is supported by the state's $3 billion stem cell agency. Jonathan Thomas, chairman of the agency, has called the treatments "snake oil."

The clinics peddle ostensible stem cell therapies for which they charge thousands of dollars. The treatments are not approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration. Some have resulted in injury, including blindness.

An analysis of the measure (AB617) by legislative staff said,

"According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the past year, at least 17 individuals across five states were hospitalized after being injected with therapeutic products made from umbilical cord blood. These particular illnesses have been identified as bacterial infections that have caused swollen spinal disc, infected bones and joints, and abscesses on their backs. Of the 17 infections, 15 have been linked to a single California based company that sells vials of a solution containing umbilical cord blood that they market to ‘stimulate regenerative healing.'" 

Mullin's  bill would charge the state Department of Public Health with creating a body by February 2020 that could enact "emergency" regulations, with 90-day  notice, to deal with clinics not in compliance with federal regulations. The panel would also be charged with making recommendations to the legislature by July of next year for new laws concerning the clinics.

The 2020 deadlines were added to the bill on Monday. However, it is unlikely to mean creation of emergency regulations any sooner than the middle of next year, given state's normal processes.

Mullin's bill won unanimous approval yesterday and was sent to the Assembly Appropriations Committee and was recommended for the consent calendar, which means that it will receive routine approval unless other issues come up. The bill also requires full Assembly and Senate approval and a signature from the governor.

Stanford Exonerates Researchers Who Had Ties to Scientist in Gene-edited Babies Experiment

Stanford University this afternoon cleared three professors of any wrongdoing in connection with their ties to a Chinese scientist who said his research had led to the world's first gene-edited babies.

Pam Belluck of the New York Times broke the story after obtaining a letter that cleared scientist Stephen Quake in connection with the research, which stirred a global controversy. 

Belluck wrote,

“'In evaluating evidence and witness statements, we found that Quake observed proper scientific protocol,' said a letter from the university to Dr. Quake, obtained by The New York Times on Tuesday.

"Referring to the Chinese scientist, He Jiankui, by his nickname, JK, the letter said that Stanford’s investigators concluded that Dr. Quake did not 'directly participate in any way in JK’s research, including in the conception or performance of the work.'

"In fact, the letter said, Dr. Quake discouraged Dr. He from pursuing the project and urged him to follow proper scientific practices after he insisted on going ahead."

The Times ran a front page story on Sunday focusing on Quake's email communications with He. Belluck wrote today,

"On Tuesday, Dr. Quake, who turned 50 this week, said: 'I’m pleased this inquiry is over and its conclusion is consistent with what I knew to be true: that I had urged Dr. He not to pursue this path and when it became clear he wouldn’t listen to me, to adhere to high scientific and ethical standards in his research.'"

Quake is involved in a $40 million program financed by the $3 billion California stem cell agency. 

The other two researchers are Matthew Porteus, a genetics researcher, and William Hurlbut, an ethicist.

As of this afternoon, the Times story on Sunday had generated 329 comments in the Times from readers, covering the full gamut of reaction.

One reader, only identified as JHP, had only this to say,

"For such an intelligent and accomplished person, Dr. Quake comes across as breathtakingly obtuse."

The Times said 134 readers "recommended" the remark.

Another reader, Robert Speth of Fort Lauderdale, said,

"Dr. Quake’s actions appear to be that of a dedicated mentor who encourages their students to be successful, but to do so while conducting themselves in an ethical manner. While the investigation by Stanford is warranted, from the information presented in this article, I cannot see even a hint of misconduct by Dr. Quake."

The Times said 175 readers "recommended" the remark.

The Times also makes its own judgment about comments and labels some as a "Times Pick," It also has a category called "Reader Picks" in addition to "All." The Times moderates its comments for civility.

The reader comments can be found by going to the story and clicking on a small box to the right of the reporter's byline.

Going Slow in California on Stem Cell "Snake Oil"

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is remaining mum on regulation of "snake oil," stem cell clinics as the Golden State pursues a go-slow approach to cracking down on the dubious treatments.

More than 100 such clinics are operating in California, the most of any state in the nation. New York state earlier this month took the lead among states in attempting to regulate the clinics, which the chairman of California's $3 billion stem cell agency, Jonathan Thomas, has described as peddling "snake oil."

New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit earlier

Letitia James
NY Department of Justice photo

this month charging that the treatments at one clinic amounted to fraud. She said in a news release,

“Misleading vulnerable consumers who are desperate to find a treatment for serious and painful medical conditions is unacceptable, unlawful, and immoral. 

“We will continue to investigate these types of clinics that shamelessly add to the suffering of these consumers by charging them thousands of dollars for treatments that they know are unproven.”

The businesses number more than 700 nationwide and have treated an estimated 20,000 persons. The clinics sell products that they say are stem cells for use as treatments for problems ranging from erectile dysfunction to cancer. The treatments lack rigorous scientific testing and cost thousands of dollars. In some cases in Florida, they have resulted in blindness. Other serious injuries have been reported elsewhere.

In the wake of the New York action, the California Stem Cell Report, on April 5 and again on April 11, queried the California attorney general's office about his position on the dubious clinics. However, Becerra's office has failed to respond.

The web site of the state Department of Justice, which is headed by Becerra, says, however,

"The Department of Justice will put patients first in a more quality health care system. We achieve this by protecting patients from bad actors...."

Other California state entities have expressed concern about the unregulated clinics but also offer only a slow schedule for action, if any.

Six months ago, the state Medical Board, which regulates physicians, created a task force to look into problem. Asked recently about the task force's progress since October, Carlos Villatoro, spokesman for the board, responded briefly,

"The board is gathering information for the Stem Cell and Regenerative Therapy Task Force and has set a goal to have its first meeting in late May, early June."

In the legislature, Assemblyman Kevin Mullin, D-San Mateo, has introduced a measure to deal with the clinics. His bill, if it is passed and signed into law, would not take effect until next January. It would direct the state Department of Public Health to hold hearings sometime next next year in order to craft possible legislation to directly regulate the clinics. 

A new regulatory panel called the Stem Cell Clinic Regulation Advisory Group would be created. After members are named and organized, it would have the ability to enact "emergency" regulations on a 90-day notice after it has consulted with "the medical community, bioethicists, legal scholars, and patient advocacy groups."

The legislation (AB617) is scheduled to receive its first hearing in the Assembly Health Committee April 23.

The unregulated stem cell clinics have been in business for years. Their dubious treatments and sales pitches have been well documented. UC Davis stem cell scientist Paul Knoepfler has been particularly active. He and Leigh Turner of the University of Minnesota were the first to document the full scope of the clinics in a groundbreaking study in 2016.

In recent years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has become more active. In the case of one California firm, Cell Surgical Network, which has been in business since 2010, the FDA sued the firm last May alleging that it had, among other things, used a smallpox vaccine to create an unapproved stem cell product. The product was injected directly into tumors in persons with potentially compromised immune systems, the FDA said.

The NY Times Details Stanford Scientist's Communications in the Gene-Edited Babies Controversy

The New York Times this morning carried a front page story dealing with Stanford University, scientist Stephen Quake and gene-edited babies in China. 

Stephen Quake
Chan Zuckerberg Biohub photo

The story appears to the first time that Quake, who is the Lee Otterson professor of bioengineering and professor of applied physics at Stanford as well as co-president of the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, has spoken at length publicly about his role in the matter of the Chinese children, who are the first gene-edited babies to be born. 

Their announcement last fall created an international brouhaha about the ethics and science of the work by He Jiankui, who once worked in Quake's Stanford lab. 

Times reporter Pam Belluck began her story like this

"'Success!' read the subject line of the email. The text, in imperfect English, began: “Good News! The women is pregnant, the genome editing success!' 
"The sender was He Jiankui, an ambitious, young Chinese scientist. The recipient was his former academic adviser, Stephen Quake, a star Stanford bioengineer and inventor. 
"'Wow, that’s quite an achievement!' Dr. Quake wrote back. 'Hopefully she will carry to term...'"

Stanford is investigating Quake's ties and communication with He. The Times reported that the school has received a complaint from the president of He's Chinese university, alleging that Quake “violated the internationally recognized academic ethics and codes of conduct, and must be condemned.”

In the Times article, Quake, who is participating in a $40 million genomics program backed by the $3 billion California stem cell agency, denied the allegations. Quake said his interactions with He have been misinterpreted. 

The Times wrote, 

"'I had nothing to do with this, and I wasn’t involved,' Dr. Quake said. 'I hold myself to high ethical standards.'

"Dr. Quake showed The Times what he said were the last few years of his email communication with Dr. He. The correspondence provides a revealing window into the informal way researchers navigate a fast-moving, ethically controversial field."

Crackdown on Stem Cell Snake Oil: California's Approach vs. New York's

An attempt in the California legislature to take limited and preliminary action to regulate "snake oil" stem cell clinics stands in sharp contrast to this week's legal action by New York state's attorney general.

California's Assembly Health Committee has scheduled an April 23 hearing on the bill (AB617) by Assemblyman Kevin Mullin, D-San Mateo. Supported by the $3 billion state stem cell agency, it would require the state Department of Health to look into the dubious clinics next year and make recommendations to the legislature.

The legislative hearing comes as New York state attorney general Letitia James announced a lawsuit yesterday against a New York business that has performed what she said are unproven and rogue procedures on patients. 

The enterprise is called Park Avenue Stem Cell. A New York Times article by Reed Abelson said, 

"According to (New York) state regulators, Park Avenue Stem Cell also had ties to a California business, Cell Surgical Network, with roughly 100 affiliates around the country, that was sued by the F.D.A. (the Food and Drug Administration) last year. The federal agency is seeking a permanent injunction against Cell Surgical Network...."

California is taking a slower and more limited path than New York.  Mullin's legislation would do little to halt activity by the clinics this year. California's attorney general, Xavier Beccera, has not spoken out publicly on the issue. The state medical board has created a task force to look into the problem but it is unclear whether it has made any headway.

California has the largest number of the clinics, more than 100, according to a 2016 study and its authors. The New York Times said the businesses "offer people treatments that cost thousands of dollars, which patients typically pay out of pocket because health insurers refuse to cover the therapies. Some products have proved dangerous to patients, blinding some and causing severe infections in at least a dozen people."

UC Davis stem cell researcher Paul Knoepfler and Leigh Turner of the University of Minnesota were the first in the nation in 2016 to document the full scope of what the chairman of the state stem cell agency, Jonathan Thomas, has dubbed a "snake oil" industry. 

Regarding the New York lawsuit, Knoepfler was quoted by the Washington Post as saying, 

"The unmistakable message is that the firms' time to come into compliance is rapidly running out."

"Natural Killer" Cells Score Points for $10.6 Million California Stem Cell Investment

This item has been removed because of inaccuracies in its reporting. The information in the item is under review.

The Quest for Stem Cell 'Franchise Players:' California's $47 Million Recruitment Program

 Robert Weschler-Reya briefly discusses some of the implications of his research.

Nine years ago this month, the California stem cell agency kicked off a $47 million recruiting effort to lure star stem cell scientists to the Golden State in what was then an even more fledgling field than it is today.

The first recipient was Robert Weschler-Reya, who left Duke University to join the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute in La Jolla, Ca. Weschler-Reya surfaced again last week in an item on the stem cell agency's blog, The Stem Cellar, which discussed the research that he hopes will help children with a deadly brain cancer.

Back in April 2010, directors of the state's $3 billion stem cell agency awarded nearly $6 million to Weschler-Reya. But it took him months to make the decision to come to California. (For more on the process see here and here.)

Ultimately, the agency helped to bring eight other scientists to California through the recruitment effort. All of the awards in the program benefited institutions with past or present representation on the agency's governing board. Those directors could not vote on specific grants to their institutions, but they all voted in favor of creating the recruitment effort.

The overall approach was approved in 2009 by directors of the agency, known formally as the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). Backers said it would lure "paradigm-shifting," "franchise players" to the state.

CIRM Director William Brody, then head of the Salk Institute in La Jolla but also a former president of John Hopkins University in Maryland, said that when California voters created the stem cell agency in 2004,

"I was sitting in Baltimore (and) the big concern was that there would be this big sucking sound for the senior people. And that, by and large, I don't think has happened because there's not been an appropriate mechanism to bring them, and I think this would do that."

As for Weschler-Reya, CIRM quoted him on its blog last week as saying that his research has developed "a valuable tool that will increase our understanding of the biology of the cancer and allow us to identify and test novel approaches to therapy. This advance brings us one step closer to a future where every child survives—and thrives—after diagnosis with CPC (choroid plexus carcinoma).

In his year-seven report on his CIRM research, Weschler-Reya said,

"The goal of our studies has been to elucidate the role of stem cells in development, regeneration and tumorigenesis in the cerebellum. We have made significant progress towards this goal during the course of our work.

"Our studies have provided insight into the types of cells derived from cerebellar stem cells during development, and shown that cerebellar stem cells can serve as cells of origin for pediatric brain tumors. Moreover, we developed several new stem cell-based animal models of pediatric brain tumors, and used them to study mechanisms driving tumorigenesis and metastasis. Importantly, we also used these models to screen for compounds that might be effective inhibitors of tumor growth, and identified a number of promising candidates. 

"Our long-term goal is to move these agents toward clinical trials, to improve outcomes for pediatric brain tumor patients."

Here is a list of all the recipients in CIRM's recruitment program. 

Institution	Researcher name	Grant Title	Award Value
University of California, Berkeley	Xavier Darzacq	Single Molecule Biophysics and Biology of Cellular Identity	$4,247,155
Gladstone Institutes, J. David	Todd McDevitt	Engineering microscale tissue constructs from human pluripotent stem cells	$5,884,058
University of California, Los Angeles	John Chute	Niche-Focused Research: Discovery & Development of Hematopoietic Regenerative Factors	$5,174,715
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center	Barry Stripp	Epithelial progenitors and the stromal niche as therapeutic targets in lung disease	$4,841,830
Stanford University	Hiromitsu Nakauchi	Generation of functional cells and organs from iPSCs	$5,427,512
University of California, San Diego	Eric Ahrens	Molecular Imaging for Stem Cell Science and Clinical Application	$5,920,899
University of Southern California	Andrew McMahon	Repair and regeneration of the nephron	$5,672,206
University of California, Santa Barbara	Peter Coffey	Development of Cellular Therapies for Retinal Disease	$4,690,963
Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute	Robert Wechsler-Reya	The role of neural stem cells in cerebellar development, regeneration and tumorigenesis	$5,226,049
			47085387

Backed by California Stem Cell Agency: $5 Million Measure for Spinal Cord Research Advances in Sacramento

Legislation supported by stem cell research advocates to provide $5 million for work on spinal cord injuries easily cleared its first hurdle this week in Sacramento.

On a 15-0 vote, the proposal, AB 214, was approved Tuesday by the Assembly Health Committee and sent to the Appropriations Committee for placement on the "consent calendar."  Such a move could speed action on the bill.

Assemblyman Kevin Mullin, D-San Mateo, authored the bill, which is backed by Americans for Cures, the Palo Alto stem cell advocacy group created by Bob Klein, the first chairman of the $3 billion California stem cell agency.

The agency, known formally as the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), is also listed as a supporter of the legislation. Other supporters included Aivita Biomedical of Irvine, Ca, the California Life Sciences Association and the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis.

The CEO of Aivita is Hans Keirstead, a stem cell researcher formerly with UC Irvine.

No opposition was listed in the legislative staff analysis of the bill.

The measure provides $5 million to support the Roman Reed Act of 1999, named after a man who was paralyzed as the result of a spinal cord injury. Roman and his father, Don Reed, are long-time backers of the stem cell agency's work.  The elder Reed is a vice president of Americans for Cures.

The legislative analysis carried this comment sourced to the bill's author:

"The previous allocations of approximately $15 million in state funding to the Roman Reed program was leveraged over five times that amount in new grants benefiting spinal cord research all across the state. It’s time to reinstate a modest amount of state funding so these efforts can continue."

California Legislation Targets Unregulated "Stem Cell" Clinics but Not Until Next Year

Legislation that may lead to regulation of dubious stem cell clinics is now before California lawmakers, but it is not likely to result in action until sometime next year at the earliest. 

Assemblyman Kevin Mullin, D-San Mateo, announced the measure (AB617) last week. He said in a news release, 

Kevin Mullin, LA Times photo

“It is clear that more must be done to ensure the proper regulation of for-profit stem cell clinics."

More than 100 unregulated "stem cell" clinics exist in California and hundreds more throughout the nation. They use what they describe as stem cells in untested treatments that cost thousands of dollars. A number of injuries, including blindness, have been reported. (See here, here, here and here.)

Jonathan Thomas, chairman of the $3 billion California stem cell agency, told its governing board last week that the clinics were peddling "snake oil."

Mullin's bill would create an advisory board within the state Department of Public Health to study the problems involving unregulated stem cell clinics and make recommendations to the legislature. 

The panel would also have the power to enact emergency regulations. If passed by the legislature this year, it would not take effect until next January. In addition to requiring hearings, the board could not implement emergency regulations without at least a 90-day waiting period.

Art Torres

Asked for comment on the legislation, Art Torres, vice chairman of the state stem cell agency and a former state lawmaker, told the California Stem Cell Report that he would withhold remarks on the bill until  "we work out final language/amendments before its first hearing in April."

Generally, proposed laws, including Mullin's measure, do not take effect until January of the following year after they are approved by both houses of the legislature and signed by the governor. 

Legislation that has "urgency" status can go into effect immediately, but such measures require a two-thirds vote of both houses instead of a simple majority. Securing a two-thirds vote can sometimes be difficult. 

The problems surrounding unregulated clinics have existed for years, but received little attention at the state or federal level until UC Davis researcher Paul Knoepfler and Leigh Turner of the University of Minnesota documented the scope of the business in 2016.

California's state medical board, which regulates physicians, is also looking into the unregulated clinics.

Down to its Last $67 Million: California Stem Cell Agency Awards $4 Million to Improve Bone Healing

A look at the the spinal affliction targeted by CIRM-backed research. Video by NuVasiveInc

OAKLAND, Ca. -- California's state stem cell agency is down to its last $67.3 million following a decision today to back research to enhance bone healing in elderly patients who undergo spinal surgery.

The $4 million award went to Ankasa Regenerative  Therapeutics following little discussion among members of the governing board of the $3 billion California Institute for Regenerative Medicine or CIRM, as the stem cell agency is known. 

Ankasa, which has locations in La Jolla and South San Francisco, is supporting the award with a matching amount of $1 million. Sandy Madigan, CEO of Ankasa, told the California Stem Cell Report that his firm has raised $19 million in venture capital. Its only current potential product, he said, is tied to the CIRM-backed research, which the agency has previously funded with $8.6 million. 

(See here and here for more on the Ankasa work.)

CIRM said at today's meeting that the award leaves the agency with $67.3 million for research for the remainder of the year. It has budgeted a total of $93 million for clinical stage awards this year.

The stem cell agency was created in 2004 with $3 billion in funding. It expects to run out of cash for new awards later this year. CIRM is seeking to raise $220 million privately to tide it over until November 2020, when it hopes voters will approve another $5 billion in funding through the use of state bonds. 

CIRM board Chairman Jonathan Thomas did not report at the meeting today on the status of the private fundraising effort. 

The only significant source of cash for the agency is the $3 billion in bonds approved by voters in 2004 via the ballot initiative process. The 2020 effort would also involve a ballot initiative. 

The deadline for filing such a measure is Aug. 19. That would set the stage for actually gathering the 585,407 valid  signatures needed to qualify for placement on the ballot. 

Today's award was approved Feb. 28 behind closed doors by the agency's out-of-state reviewers, who sent it to the CIRM board for routine ratification. 

The six-page, CIRM summary of the review said the proposal (CLIN1-11256) addresses "the need for a spinal fusion material that can increase the chance for a solid bony union in the lumbar spine." The review said, "There are other products on the market that fulfill this need but have safety concerns that have been raised in the past."

Jill Helms, chief scientific officer of Ankasa and a professor at Stanford University, led the research backed by CIRM. 

The review summary said the proposed treatment could have application in other areas as well. It is likely to be some years before the procedure would be widely available. Today's award supports efforts by Ankasa to gain federal approval to begin clinical trials.

See here for the CIRM press release on the award. 

Making 'Stem Cell Lemonade' in California

Trump visiting lab in China in 2017, whose research output is
surpassing the U.S. Photo: Andy Wong/AFP/Getty Images

California's $3 billion stem cell agency has what some might call an "unconscious" ally in its search for more billions to fuel its drive to create stem cell therapies and cures.

It is no small matter. The agency expects to run out of cash for new awards by the end of this year. It is hoping that voters will approve, in November of 2020, another $5 billion to carry on with its 14-year-old program, which is a pretty big ask.

Now comes President Trump with his latest proposed budget, which whacks away at scientific research. He is seeking to slash as much as $6 billion from the National Institutes of Health, the chief source of research funding in the country.

The American Association of Immunologists said this week that Trump's cuts “would devastate important research intended to prevent, treat, and cure innumerable diseases."

Trump's cuts play into a narrative that worked successfully in 2004 when California voters created the stem cell agency with 59 percent of them voting for Proposition 71. The campaign pushed the ballot initiative with the argument that then President Bush was crippling stem cell research and thus preventing development of new, nearly miraculous therapies.

Like Bush, Trump is something of a scientific villain, so to speak, one that can be used as a foil to convince the people of California to provide more money for stem cell research. Never let good villain go to waste might be the marching orders for the 2020 ballot campaign.

If not for California and its stem cell agency, voters would be told, children would have died (see here and here) and more than 50 clinical trials for stem cell treatments would have not existed.

It is no matter that Congress may not go along with Trump's reductions. The threat, which is likely to continue as long as Trump is president, is sufficient to fuel a ballot campaign.

Obviously, cuts in federal research funding are not something the scientific and biotech community applauds. Nonetheless, they could be picked apart to find morsels to feed a ballot campaign. The agency's backers might even say, "When the president gives you stem cell lemons, make stem cell lemonade."

Cash and the California Stem Cell Agency: A Critique Notes August Deadline for New Funding Initiative

California's $3 billion stem cell program is facing a cash crunch this year, and the latest commentary on its financial fate raises a host of questions. 

The critique comes from the Center for Genetics and Society, a Berkeley group that has long been critical of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), as the state stem cell agency is known. 

Writing on the center's blog, Pete Shanks briefly recapped the history of CIRM and its current financial situation. The agency expects to run out of funds for new awards this year and is  trying to raise privately more than $200 million. The cash is intended to bridge the gap between now and presumed voter approval of an additional $5 billion in November 2020. 

Quoting CIRM board transcripts, Shanks wrote: 

"They are still looking for an 'anchor investor,' who might encourage others (as an anchor store draws people to a shopping mall). Which makes CIRM board member Jeff Sheehy (long-term AIDS activist and former San Francisco Supervisor) sound prescient, since in September 2017 he had suggested that savvy voters might say (pp. 78–9 ): 

'So you went to fund-raise. You didn’t get enough to keep you going, so you’re coming back to me with your hand out. So why didn’t you get enough? Why did the people who you’ve been asking for money not think you were a good investment? Why should I?' 

"Good point. Indeed, some of the board members were over-optimistic in that 2017 assessment."

Shanks also raised other questions about the nature of CIRM's private fund raising effort and looming deadlines for qualifying a bond measure, along with a ballot initiative that will likely retool the existing law that created the agency in 2004. 

Shanks concluded,

"Propositions take considerable time to be approved. The deadline for submitting a proposed measure to the attorney general that’s intended for the November 2020 election is August 20, 2019 . In practice, that means that the proposition is probably being written now, or will be completed very soon, and preliminary backers have likely been identified and contacted already. Unless, of course, such funders cannot be found. 

"Will CIRM’s problems be solved? We’ll soon know."

Stem Cell Hype: The Latest Warning from Researchers

The Scientist journal last week carried a cautionary note concerning iPS cell therapies, particularly a recent, "exciting" announcement concerning their use for treatment of spinal paralysis.

"Ethical Challenges in Using iPS Cells to Treat Paralysis," was the headline on the opinion piece. It carried a subheading that said,

"Uncertainties about the cells’ risk profiles and the potential for hyping unproven therapies mean scientists and the media must tread carefully."

The article dealt primarily with what it termed "exciting" news about an experiment in Japan. But the article has broader implications for the entire field including in California, where the state stem cell agency is currently helping to fund 46 research projects involving iPS, induced pluripotent stem cells. 

The piece was written by John D. Loike, a professor of biology at Touro College and University Systems in Brooklyn and who has a regular column on bioethics in The Scientist, and Martin Grumet, a professor of cell biology and neuroscience at Rutgers.

Writing about the Japanese research, they said, 

"Caution is warranted here, for at least three reasons: the uncertainty of the stem cell type to be used in their clinical trial, the safety of transplanting stem cells into humans, and the responsibility of scientists and the press to communicate clearly the benefits and risks of the stem cell treatments, especially to desperate patients who would seek such unproven treatments."

They continued.

"The excitement of the press release may be misinterpreted by patients, who may think that now is the time to treat human spinal cord injury with stem cell transplants. With difficulties getting admitted to legitimate sub-clinical trials, could this hype for hope lead poorly informed patients to seek out other “stem cells” to treat their spinal cord injuries or other conditions? We must avoid anything that may promote “medical tourism” to unapproved interventions.

"The fact that there are more than 700 'stem cell clinics' advertised in the United States alone highlights the desperation of so many patients with terminal illnesses seeking unapproved or unproven therapies. There are no studies documenting the therapeutic successes of these clinics and some of their patients have developed serious side effects. Scientists and the press must ensure an ethical and realistic presentation and communication of new and potentially exciting discoveries and caution readers about the realities of initial clinical trials.

The FDA and the Loss of Gottlieb: What Does it Mean for Stem Cell Research?

Scott Gottlieb at his earlier Senate confirmation hearing

"Panic Attack" --That's what the headline this morning said about the resignation of Scott Gottlieb as head of the Food and Drug Administration(FDA). 

The STAT article addressed the general biotech field and its worries. Gottlieb's departure, however, also creates some uncertainty involving California's $3 billion stem cell agency. Known as the California Institute for Regenerative Medicince (CIRM), the agency is backing 51 clinical trials, all of which are regulated by the FDA.

STAT is one of the more authoritative outlets dealing with medical research news. Its Gottlieb piece reviewed his impact on stem cell and regenerative medicine and what his loss might mean. The full headline said, 

"Scott Gottlieb's Sudden Resignation Will Give Biotech a Panic Attack"

The article by Matthew Herper and Adam Feuerstein said,

"Without Gottlieb at the helm, there is uncertainty. And there is nothing that scares investors and biopharma more."

Most of the news coverage of Gottlieb's surprise resignation focused on his efforts regarding vaping and opiods.  But STAT was not alone on discussing the stem cell/regenerative medicine issues. A piece on Politico said, 

"Gottlieb worked to advance cell and gene therapies, a promising new area of medicine. Under his leadership, the FDA put out a framework for regenerative medicines, designed to accelerate the approval of the most promising gene therapies. At the same time, Gottlieb balanced promoting legitimate new treatments with crackdowns on bad actors who were taking advantage of patients by marketing unapproved, unproven and potentially dangerous treatments."

In California, the state has invested roughly $2.5 billion so far in stem cell research with goal of bringing products to market. That is a process that heavily involves the FDA.

Indeed, a top official of the FDA will be speaking next month at a San Francisco conference sponsored by the agency and UC San Francisco. The topic? "Regulation and the Office of Cell Therapy and Gene Therapies Expedited Reviews"

It is far from clear what will emerge at the FDA concerning regenerative medicine or whether Gottlieb's approach will continue.  President Trump may leave the post vacant for some time. He will be heavily lobbied by interests that have opposed Gottlieb's more visible efforts concerning vaping and opiods. 

Trump also will feel pressure from the regenerative medicine industry. But given the multiplicity of issues facing the president, the FDA is not likely to be high on Trump's priority list. And then there are Senate confirmation hearings on any appointment.

Meanwhile we can expect to see more analysis in the coming weeks of what it all means for stem cells and regenerative medicine.